ACC All Access: Virginia Tech's Dyrell Roberts was once an ex-return specialist ... those days are over

By By Norm Wood

Aug 29, 2012 | 6:13 PM

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In the spring, Virginia Tech’s Dyrell Roberts had a chance to get reacquainted with returning punts, but it seemed like nothing more than an experiment at the time.

Now, it looks like there were some definite plans in the role for Roberts, a senior who graduated from Smithfield High. He's been fielding punts in preseason practices and game-week practices leading up to Monday's season-opener against Georgia Tech, and now he's atop Virginia Tech's depth chart at punt returner.

"I've only done one or two punt returns in my whole career, but at the same time, I feel like I've come a long way from at one time not even being able to catch a punt," said Roberts after Wednesday's practice.

Actually, he's never returned a punt in his Tech career.

It's been since his freshman year since Roberts even had a chance to return punts. He dropped back to return punts in the first game of his career – the 2008 season-opener against East Carolina.

He never got his hands on a punt in that game, instead opting to let every single punt that came his direction hit the ground and roll. After that game, he was supplanted by Victor Harris in the punt return role, and Roberts never played the position again.

Of course, Roberts went on to do big things as a kickoff returner. In '09, after being clocked with the fastest 40-yard dash time (4.35 seconds) on the team in the offseason, Roberts went on to finish fourth in the nation in average yards per kickoff return (31.9 yards on 18 returns, including a 98-yard return for a touchdown in the season-opener against Alabama).

He returned kickoffs again in the '10 season, until his season ended prematurely while bringing back a kickoff against Georgia Tech. He suffered a thigh bruise in the first quarter and ended up missing the last five games of the season after he was diagnosed with and had surgery for compartment syndrome in the thigh.

Last season, kickoff returns once again created a speed bump in his career. In the third game of the season, he suffered a broken arm against Arkansas State on a kickoff return and missed the rest of the season. Though he was a senior in eligibility last season, he got the year of eligibility back via a medical hardship waiver.

After losing portions of his last two seasons due to injuries on kickoff returns, where he is Tech's career yardage leader (1,577), Roberts can probably be excused if he was a little reluctant to return kicks again. Before the spring, he had a talk with the coaches to express his reluctance to return kicks again. He'd do it, but only if necessary.

He changed his tune during the summer.

"Coming off the injuries and everything, I kind of thought about it and I said, 'Would it be in my best interest to do the kick returns?'" said Roberts, who is tied for second on the depth chart at kickoff returner. "I felt my role on the offense would increase with the departure of some of my ex-teammates, but at the same time once I got to thinking about it, that's what I do. I return kicks. I've done plenty of (kick returns) in my career. It just so happens I got hurt on two plays. You can't really shy away from it like I found myself doing at first. I got over it."

Returning punts might just represent a sort of compromise. If returning kicks is no longer something he wants on his agenda, Roberts might be more attuned toward the portion of the return game where he'll have more control.

"With the kickoffs, you have to bring it out if it's not in the end zone," said Roberts, who has Kyshoen Jarrett behind him at punt returner. "With punts, if I feel I'm not comfortable, just waive my hand and they can't hit me. At the same time, it's a sense of comfort because I know I can protect myself if need be."

Since telling the coaches in a recent conversation about revisiting the return game that he'd be willing to return kicks or punts, Roberts has gotten a ton of reps at punt returner, but only one or two at kickoff returner. It's obvious his role in the return game is about to change, but his mental approach to returning kicks or punts is the same.

"You can't be scared," said Roberts, who is also tied atop the depth chart with D.J. Coles for one of the two starting wide receiver spots. "If you're scared playing football, you're in the wrong sport. At the same time, punt returning is different. There's a different spin to the ball coming off the kicker's foot…but that what you play the game for. You play the game for competition. You want to go out there and make plays any way you can."